Sisulu to meet Ramaphosa in ‘next few days’ to discuss multimillion-pound Tottenham Hotspur deal

Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu

• Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is expected to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa over the next few days to discuss a controversial Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship proposal.
• Sisulu met with SA Tourism board members on Saturday. 
• Her spokesperson, Steve Motale, said an announcement would be made after the meeting with the president.

Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is expected to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa this week to discuss a controversial three-year multimillion-pound sponsorship proposal with English Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur.

The meeting follows Sisulu’s lengthy discussions with South African Tourism (SAT) board members over the weekend.

“The board fully briefed her on the deal on Saturday. The next step now is to inform the president. She will be meeting the president in the next few days, following which an announcement will be made,” her spokesperson, Steve Motale, told News24 on Monday.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Friday that Ramaphosa still had to be briefed on the proposal and that he had no plans to announce it during the State of the Nation Address.

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Magwenya said the Presidency did not think “spending so much money in the manner that is being suggested will be justified”.

SA Tourism proposed the deal, worth £42.5 million (about R900 million), starting at the beginning of the 2023/24 season and concluding at the end of the 2026/27 season.

In exchange for the whopping investment, SA Tourism will receive kit branding, interview backdrop branding, match-day advertising, partnership announcements, training camps in South Africa, and free access to tickets and stadium hospitality.

It came under heavy criticism during a media briefing on Thursday.

READ | Three SA Tourism board members resign with immediate effect amid Tottenham proposal

However, SAT acting chief executive officer Themba Khumalo defended it and said they expected the backlash.

Three SAT board members – Enver Duminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson – resigned with immediate effect over the weekend.

Sisulu accepted the resignations and the process of appointing “suitable replacements” is under way.